A beautiful starry night
by Rose Black Dragon
Summary: Once again destiny has given Leonardo a second occasion to enjoy the time he spends alongside his brothers with them turned into toddlers again. Everything is happiness and joy until that same destiny decided it wouldn't last long. Co-written with Akiane. Art by Bamboo-carbon.
1. Chapter 1

Akiane, one of my good friends, also an autor in this site, suggested me to develop the silly drabble I titled: "A few minutes" into a long story.

I hope you like the result, the author of the drawing (the cover for this story) is Bamboo-carbon, a very talented artist. Akiane paid for it to gave it to me as a birthday gift. The reason I mention this is because I don't like misunderstandings, maybe someone might think I took it without permission or something like that. XD

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**::::: A beautiful starry night :::::**

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Because of an inconceivable mistake made by the ninja in purple, an experiment had an unexpected outcome. After hearing the screams of terror of his three younger brothers almost in unison with the sound of a huge explosion, Leonardo came running up to the lab just to found three turtle toddlers who were crying to the top of their lungs.

A few hours later, April explained to Leonardo his brothers were physically alright and the effect of the accident would vanish in just a month. Sighing relieved, Leonardo took the news his good friend had told him with the best mood he could muster; so, not only he devoted himself, body and soul, to take care of the little ones but also to enjoy once again that phase of childhood, the one that founded the love of the eldest turtle for his younger brothers.

Almost in the middle of the month, April, worried about Leo, showed up in her friends' home to help the eldest to take care of the turtle kids.

A tremendous ruckus with shouts of joy and excitement filled the mood of the turtles' lair. April was pleasantly surprised at seeing the three little toddlers running all over the place wearing cowboy costumes.

Leo looked at her with a big smile on his face, he enjoyed a lot the innocence of his little bros filling his life, without having to worry about the battles and the responsibilities of the leadership, but it was also undeniable he looked a little tired.

"Auntie April!" the kids called out, getting closer to her to hug her knees. "Do you want to play with us?!"

"Not now, little ones, but I will be watching you play, okay?" The red-headed woman told them, taking a seat on the couch to see them play. All the tiny voices exclaimed their agreement and one more time they began to run everywhere.

"Pow, pow!" Little Raph shouted imitating the sound of gunshots aiming at his big brother with his small hand pretending it was gun. "Got you!" Leonardo threw himself to the floor and pretended to be 'dead' then Raphael ran again towards Donnie and Mikey.

April kept looking at them for a few more minutes but then she turned to see Leo, she was surprised he was still lying on the floor. Worried about him, she got close to Leo thinking that maybe something really bad had happened to him.

"Leo, are you all right?" She asked, kneeling next to him.

Without opening his eyes, Leonardo answered, making her smile: "Yes, April, don't worry, but this, besides sleeping, is the only chance I have to rest a bit every day.

"Leo..." April laid down on the floor beside her good friend, "It had always been this way? This is how you took care of them when they were little?" Leo opened one eye and look at her, feeling tired buy happy.

"I think it was easier, I hadn't so many responsibilities cause our father was there, I had more things to do as time went by, but I enjoyed taking care of them because I used to play with them, now I can enjoy it more, I love to see them happy and without worries, like I always wanted.

"You are right, Leo, when we are adults, well... it isn't your case but, you get it, we enjoy even more the tender love of children, their pranks and their innocent remarks", April said keeping the talk going, "all of them are adorable." As if on cue, the children got close to them and all the little turtles hugged Leonardo, everybody was very hungry.

"Big bo, ood!" Mikey begged, trying to say the words 'bro' and 'food' correctly. Once Leonardo believed his baby brother couldn't be cuter, but then he knew he had been way wrong.

"Okay little bro, what would you like to eat?" Leo asked him, lifting him up onto his chest to hug him tighter. Mikey struggled while giggling, trying to break the hug to came down from his big brothers' chest to run again, but when the kid looked into Leo's eyes he hugged him tightly too, with all the strength of his small arms. Raph and Donnie, jealous of that, climbed to their big brother's chest too.

"I want a hug too!" Raphael yelled, getting what he wanted because Leonardo used his free arm. At seeing that, Donnie began to sob softly. It seemed Leonardo's ears were calibrated to hear any change in his little brothers' voices because he immediately heard those soft sounds.

"Don't cry little one," Leo said, getting to his feet to lift up the little turtle in purple into his arms too. Anyone would think that only with two arms Leo couldn't do it but, with his practice, it was easy for him.

April watched how Leo treated his bros, she has always noticed it, every moment of the young leader's life and every breath he takes are for the sake of them.

"Allow me to help you", April said, trying to be useful helping Leo to rise when he was carrying his beloved load. But, suddenly, a look from the small turtle with amber eyes seemed to warn her that he didn't like her to touch his big brother. Subtly, Raphie clung to Leonardo tighter, like saying: 'he is mine'. Leonardo set the three little turtles on their high chairs and began to fix them a snack.

"So... how good are you with cooking for them?" The woman asked, making the eldest turtle smile.

Leonardo, having all the experience in the world about what concerned to his little brothers, immediately began to serve them their food, pouring some milk in their sippy cups and chopped half an apple in tiny pieces and put the plate in front of Raphael who proudly took a fork with all his fingers around the handle saying: "I'm a big boy", showing off to Donnie and Mikey, they were eating fruit too, but it was apple puree.

Mikey took no notice of Raphael's words, but Donnie looked at his big brother who was feeding his baby bro who couldn't hold the spoon yet. Leo helped him so he wouldn't end making up a mess. Almost right away, Leo felt his little bro in purple was looking at him insistently, so he knew something was bothering him and asked: "what's wrong, Donnie? Aren't you hungry?"

Leonardo knew that future scientist wanted to be a big boy like his bro in red, cause in a way, he felt insecure, but he still didn't know how to express it, he just stared at his big bro who knew what to do. Taking another apple, Leo cut a small piece of it and gave it to Donnie. The little turtle held the small piece of fruit between his fingers as he gazed at it

"Bite it", Leonardo gently encouraged him to do it. The turtle kid did it and smiled after doing it, realizing he could do it, enjoying for the first time the crunchy texture of the fruit. Donnie gazed at his brother in red with a proud look, Raphael pouted and stopped eating. April watched everything with a curious look on her face, she noticed the character of the future teens, they couldn't deny their future personalities, but they were still growing up, so they still wanted many things from their big brother, most of all, attention.

"Eat, Raphie," Leonardo asked the grumpy little kid. In the beginning, the eldest didn't manage to convince him, but after giving him a quick peck on his forehead, his little brother finished his meal. April offered to help Leo again, but the kids didn't allow her to touch them, they were fighting to get the attention of their big bro.

Leonardo wiped Mikey's face, cleaning all he apple puree on his cheeks and forehead the kid had smeared all over his face skin. Next, it was Raphael´s turn. He had drunk his milk quickly, ending before Donnie could, that way Leo would clean his mouth first. When all of them had finished their food, Leonardo asked April to watch them to clean the kitchen for later make dinner.

April wasn't sure she could handle them, she was aware of the competition among them to get Leo's attention, but she knew her friend was too busy, that's why she couldn't refuse.

"Of course, Leo, just tell me, how can I keep them entertained?" Leo smiled at seeing his friend's concern. He handed her a bunch of paper sheets, finger paint and a box of crayons.

"Take this, they may want to draw for a while, I will hurry to catch up with you later. Boys go with auntie April to the couch. I will be there in a few minutes."

April lifted Mikey up into her arms, Raphael was staring at her warily while Donnie was thinking the best way to come down from his chair.

"Let's go, kids, we will draw a nice picture for Leo, if he likes it, he is going to stick it on the fridge door,"

April encouraged them and then helped Donnie to get off the chair to take him by the hand. After hearing what the prize was going to be, Raphael immediately got off his chair and ran in front of the red-headed woman and his younger siblings. Leo smiled and hurried to clean for later grab the ingredients he needed for dinner, it was such a relief to have April helping him.

The little turtles began to draw and Raphael boasted of using the colors correctly when he drew a sun above two beings, he and his big brother holding hands. Donnie watched him carefully, he took his crayons and used both hands to draw what for him was a house with Leo waving his hands from the door while Mikey used his tiny hands to draw with the finger paint but he just stained the paper with the shape of his hand, giggling every time he did it. When he splashed his bros with the paint, he laughed even more.

"Mikey, don't!" Raphael's yell was too aggressive, the shout intimidated Mikey who hugged April. Donnie saw his baby bro was about to cry, so he used some of the finger paint and decorated his face and made funny faces to make him laugh.

"Everything is alright, right Mikey?" Donnie asked his baby bro who continued the artwork on Donnie's face, using even more finger paint causing a paint war. Raphael didn't want to feel excluded so he grabbed a small bottle of yellow paint and splashed everyone with it.

"Boys, don't do that!" A huge drop of green paint fell on April´s forehead "Now you'll see!" The children attacked April together. By the time Leo came out of the kitchen, he looked in wonder at three multicolored little turtles and a woman in the same condition, with Mikey in her arms.

"They started it..." she said in her defense.

"All of you look like a salad!" Leo chuckled and approached them. He knelt on one knee next to Raph and gently began to clean his face. While doing it he said: "Let's see who is here... a pair of amber eyes, so you were here, right Raphie?" The little turtle nodded as he smiled widely. After Raph, Donnie was next and Leo did the same, "Donnie, I found you!"

Leo lifted them up and walked over to April and Mikey, the little one was still painting her face and when Leo was within reach Mikey stained his face too. "Hey, take it easy, little artist. I think it's time for a bath."

"Sorry Leo, I think I haven't been very helpful.

"Of course you have, they aren't fighting, that counts for a lot," he told her calmly.

April accompanied him to the bathroom to continue helping him, after all, she wasn't afraid of being dirtier that at that time. Leo made a stopover in his room, he already had a plastic container full of toys: a boat, a submarine, three rubber duckies, and a purple small octopus.

That made the children smile, you could say they loved to take a bath, but what they truly loved was to play in the water.

The three little turtles watched as their big brother filled the tub at the right temperature for the bathroom. Leonardo placed not-slip mats in the bottom and one plastic ring to bath Mikey safely, preventing him from slipping. Also he wrapped the tap with a padded cover, that way they wouldn't hurt themselves if they hit it while they were playing.

As soon as the water reached a convenient height, Leonardo lifted Raphael and Donnie to put them in the tub, telling them to remain seated to play safely. April put Mikey within the ring and gave him a toy to keep him entertained.

While April gently rubbed Mikey's soft skin, Leonardo did the same with Donnie who was staring at his small octopus, the toy sank and then surfaced again. Amazed, Donnie wondered how that was possible. Leo and April shared a look of intelligence, they understood the little genius' attitude.

Fun was endless for Raphael as Leo and April were busy with his siblings, he was making sounds as he played with his submarine, he was blowing at his boat to see it sail and his rubber ducky did all the work by itself, Raph only had to squeeze it to make funny sounds. He chuckled the whole time.

Mikey was fascinated with the bubbles and all the colors that reflected on the soapy surface of the spheres which had a thin water skin.

The laughter of the little ones was Leonardo's pleasure, seeing them calm and happy was the goal of his life and his main source of joy.

"I still think I haven't been very helpful," April admitted feeling useless again," look how they ended and you only had been absent for a few minutes." Leo smiled again.

"Maybe you want to say what they did to you, when being around children this is a normal outcome, now come here." Leonardo took a small towel and wet it with warm water and wiped the paint off of April's face. The kids instantly stop doing whatever they were doing to look at what was happening.

"Leo... this isn't necessary, " April said, feeling a little embarrassed, but Leo was used to cleaning all the messes his little brothers did.

A splash of water, a submarine thrown straight to her head and a shuddering cry were what April got from the tiny turtles.

"What are you doing?" Leonardo turned his head to see them, looking very serious. At seeing him like that, they were on the verge of crying.

"They are jealous, Leo," April told him, drying her face up and returning the toy to his owner. Raphael stuck his tongue at her, being rude every time he thought Leo wasn't looking at him.

"Don't do that, auntie April also loves and takes care of you." Leonardo softly chided him

After the bath, they went to Leo's room, he was carrying Raph and Mikey well wrapped in their towels, April was carrying Donnie, well wrapped too. They put them on the bed to finish drying them and then dress them to go to have dinner and then to sleep.

Leonardo put three full-body pajamas on the bed, each of the colors of his little brothers' future bandanas they would use again when they returned to normal. They were a bit tattered, but they could still help the kids to keep a warm temperature and take them to the kitchen to have dinner.

Little Raph persisted in dressing himself so his big brother would compliment him, once again little Donnie didn't want to be left behind so he didn't let April dress him, he wanted to do it on his own. The only thing Mikey was doing was to stare at his big brother with a candid and innocent look as he dressed him with his sleepwear.

In the end, Donnie got away with what he wanted and managed to dress alone, a wide pride smile was directly sent towards Leonardo's direction who complimented him after hugging the little one in red who for jealousy issues hadn't released his big brother from his tight hug.

Back in the kitchen, all the kids sitting on their high chairs, Leonardo served them cookies he had baked and also three small bowls of yogurt. The kids loved the cookies, so they devoured them, although Mikey only had just a pair because he was teething. After dinner, Leo got them to the bathroom to wash their teeth.

April told him she would stay that night to help him in the morning, Leo agreed and thanked her again. The read-headed woman settled in the spare bedroom after taking the kids to Leo's room. The eldest turtle had taken out their old tiny beds from the room filled with the old furniture, but his little brothers never wanted to use them, they were stubborn and never took a 'no' for an answer when they wanted to bunk with him.

After midnight, April got up and went to the kitchen to drink some water, she had the idea to take a look at his friend's room to be sure they were fine. The sight of Leonardo surrounded by three tiny turtles was touching. Raph on Leo's right side, Donnie on his left side and baby Mikey on his chest. It looked like Leo's steady breathing was what kept the little ones mired in that peaceful sleep, filled with the feeling of security all the children invoke in the adults' hearts.

"I wish I could do something to allow them to enjoy this experience even more," the nice woman thought as she closed the door, that way all of them would keep enjoying the nice and warm temperature inside Leo's room.

Leonardo knew he had to get up early, soon his little brothers would wake up and they would begin to demand some food, so he did it despite he wanted to sleep a bit more. He turned and looked at them, sleeping with a blissful peace, he felt how his energy came back to him, erasing any trace of tiredness, he truly enjoyed everything about taking care of them.

He put the pillows together forming a barrier to prevent children from falling out of bed. He left his room silently to start the day's work. He had to train, meditate, clean the kitchen and prepare breakfast. When April and the kids woke up he would be ready to serve them a delicious meal.

"Sorry Leo, I overslept when I should have been helping you, please, allow me, you don't need to do it alone," but Leo threw her a happy look.

"Don't worry, it has been almost two weeks since the incident, to tell the truth, I have gotten used to doing it. And even if you don't believe it, I think they are calmer than when they are older." Leo chuckled, but he couldn't hide he was a bit tired.

"Besides, I'm not doing it alone, you help me a lot, April. You bring me the groceries and everything we need."

"Soon we will celebrate or birthday," the ninja in blue added, "I want to do something special, I want to celebrate it as I would have liked when I was a child. I want there to be balloons, a big cake, ice cream, music, and games, I want them to have a real children's birthday party, something they can treasure forever. You will help me, right, April?"

**To be continued…**


	2. Chapter 2

"Of course, I will help you! It is one of the best ideas to make children happy." April replied, delighted with the idea.

Although their birthday was still two weeks away, Leonardo wanted to have the party soon, before the effect on his brothers wore off, so April suggested spending a week to make arrangements for the party. Casey and Usagi were invited to the celebration too. April took care of the cake and Leonardo took care of the banner and the ballons. Usagi and Casey gathered ideas to have fun at the party. Everything was ready in the early morning of that day so that when the boys woke up all things would start at once.

When the children woke up, they realized their big brother wasn't there, so they began to shout for him, Leonardo came immediately.

"Good morning, my boys," the eldest told his children, all of them smiled at seeing him and Mikey held out his arms towards his big brother for him to lift him into his arms.

"Do you know what day is it?" The eldest turtle asked them.

"No..." they answered at last, after thinking for a few seconds.

"Do you have a surprise for us, Leo?" the kid in red asked, the look in Leo's eyes assured him they would have what they wanted.

"Yep, do you want to go with me to find out what it is?"

"YES!" The kids exclaimed, Raphael and Donatello ran out of the room heading to the kitchen, Leonardo was right behind them with Mikey still in his arms.

The children didn't walk into the kitchen because the light was off and the kids were scared of the dark, but when their big brother got close to them, they weren't afraid anymore. They waited for Leonardo to turn on the light.

"Surprise! Happy birthday!" The guests exclaimed enthusiastically when the lights went on. The kids were a bit startled after that, but when they saw the huge cake on the table, the ballons and the presents, their startle vanished.

"WOW! What a huge cake!" Donnie said, seeing the big dessert.

"Is that for me?" Raphael asked looking at one of the boxes on the table.

"Cake! Cake!" Mikey shouted almost wriggling out of his big brother's arms. Leonardo sat his brothers at the table as April cut the cake, giving a large slice to each one. Leonardo ate with the same enthusiasm as the children, watching them eat, but without letting them gorge on the cake, he wanted them to play before eating more to their heart's content.

Casey and Usagi, after eating, organized the games for the kids. They turned on some music for them to dance and then turned it off to see if they could remain motionless, the one who moved, lose. They gave them some clues to find a hidden treasure, a little wooden chest filled with candies. The enjoyed a water balloon fight, they opened the gifts, eat cake again, watched a movie Casey had bought, play with all the toys Usagi had brought for them from his dimension. The whole day was full of fun and surprises, the boys spent all their energy on laughter, delicious food, games and smiles, happiness totally reigned in that home.

When the day was coming to an end, Casey and Usagi approached Leonardo.

"My friend, you do a great job taking care of your three little brothers, but I think it is too much for you to handle," the young samurai was telling him, "I could help you, if you allow me, I can take any one of them with me and look after him as if he was my disciple while he is still a kid." Leonardo was very surprised after hearing that suggestion.

"I think so, too, Leo," Casey seconded, "you could let one of them coming with me to grandma's house to spend a few days there feeling free, April and I would take care of him." Leonardo couldn't hide his growing surprise.

"I really appreciate your good intentions, but I think that won't be necessary. No, I wouldn't be able to part with them, we are a family."

"Leo, separating them doesn't mean you don't love them, but look at you, each passing day you look wearier. Okay, don't say a word right now, but think about it. We know you, you would never do that willingly, but it is very tiresome for you, even though they are just three."

Leonardo glanced at his little bros, Raph and Donnie were playing with the toys they had received while Mikey was falling asleep in one of the corners of the old couch.

"No, definitely not, my friends, I'm grateful for your concern, but you are right, I would never do that. After our sensei's death, they are the only thing I have left to live for. I would never separate them, we should stick together, maybe the reason why they went back to be kids again was to have a chance for living a peaceful life and I wish nothing more." The eldest turtle answered them, his face calm and smiling, a reaction his friends already expected from him.

"Okay Leo, but please, when having any trouble remember we will be there to help you any time, never doubt it." His human friend reminded him.

"What a pity you haven't accepted, it would have been a great honor to have a member of the Hamato clan under my tutelage," the rabbit sincerely said.

"Thank you Usagi, thank you Casey, thank you April," Leonardo said, expressing his gratitude as he hugged each one of them as a goodbye after all of them had helped him with the birthday party the tiny turtles had enjoyed so much.

As soon as Leonardo got through saying goodbye to his friends, he headed back to his home using the elevator. When he got close to the couch he saw his three little brothers snuggling with each other, sleeping pleasantly. His heart filled to the brim with the purest tenderness.

"No, I could never separate them, we are destined to be together and that thought fills me with joy. Maybe it sounds selfish because the citizens will find themselves in the need to take care of their own safety for quite a while, but my little brothers deserve a calm and happy life... What a shame there are only two weeks left to enjoy this life, I will miss it, but I can't deny I miss my "normal" brothers."

Lifting one baby at a time into his arms, Leonardo took them to his bedroom, he put them down to the bed to sleep. He tucked them in, then he laid next to them, and before going to sleep, he observed them for a few long minutes. He let out a sigh feeling a nice defeat, his babies were the rightful owners of his brotherly love, it didn't matter if they were kids or teens, they would always be the priority of his life.

…..

After a couple of days, Donatello insisted on showing him a book of constellations his friends had given him as a birthday gift. The little genius was always drawing stars and begged his big brother to take him outside the lair to see the stars in the sky.

But every time Donnie asked him for it, Leonardo told him he had to delay the trip because he wanted to plan it. The eldest brother wanted them to enjoy the little trip to the outside without any danger lurking them from the shadows, that way the little genius and the others could see that beautiful sight in all its glory.

A baby carrier concocted by Leonardo allowed him to carry his three little bros at the same time. Mikey in front of Leo's chest while Raphie and Donnie were behind him, on his shell, that way they could look over his shoulders. The young leader was familiar with all the areas where the Foot and the Purple Dragons weren't so active. He thought the best route would be through those zones. Convinced that plan was the safest for him and the children, he was ready to take them out to enjoy the small trip to see the stars.

"Do you want to go outside to see the stars?" That question managed what Leonardo expected, three pairs of innocent eyes looked at him knowing their expectations were about to be fulfilled.

"Yes!" all of them yelled at the same time.

Leonardo had already looked for the clothes he wanted his little bros to use to keep them nice and warm outside. They were wearing small pants and old sweaters still good. There weren't shoes, but Leonardo put thick socks on every one of them.

Placing Raph and Donnie into the baby carrier, Leo adjusted the straps to secure them. After making sure they were firmly secure, he came close to Mikey to lift him and secure him too, the little one was already reaching out his tiny arms to his big brother. After checking out the baby carrier one last time, Leonardo took his katanas and on that special occasion, he carried them like the old samurais, beside his waist.

The kids were amazed at everything their eyes could see. In the beginning, Leonardo had climbed the building bit by bit so that way the kids won't be scared by height. But, the more Leonardo went up, the excitement in his little brothers' voices increased as well. Minutes later Leonardo was jumping from rooftop to rooftop, hearing with pleasure his babies' shouts of excitement and wonder.

Unluckily, their shouts were heard by a couple of Shredder's minions who were there because of a bad twist of fate. When the soldiers saw the turtles pass from afar, they instantly thought about revenge, observing the great chance they had after realizing that the small family group was only formed by a teenager and now three children. A Leonardo in the care of three little turtles was easy prey. They had to inform their evil master. For sure he would enjoy the capture of his hated enemies.

With the agility which provides an act of revenge ready to be satisfied, the news spread like wildfire until it reached the ears of Shredder while a pair of Foot ninjas were following Leonardo cautiously.

"Master!" A guard exclaimed going into Shredder's chambers unannounced, he was sure the news of which he was bearer was more than enough to interrupt the villain's meditations.

"I said I didn't want to be disturbed!" Saki yelled, his face showing his angered brow matching with a threatening grimace and pursed lips. But before he could vent his anger on the guard, the man in no time made him know what was happening.

Shredder couldn't believe his good fortune, without wasting time and guided by all the sentinels he had on every building, he soon got to the zone, to a near place where his enemies were, to set a trap.

Focused on enjoying his little brothers' happiness, Leonardo kept smiling, seeing and hearing every word coming from his little ones, but that happiness was about to come to an end.

"Higher! Higher!" Litle Raph demanded, feeling he excitement as Mikey limited himself to express his amazement showing marveled gestures and greedy gazes full of curiosity.

"Look, what a pretty star!" Donnie said loudly, looking up at the sky for after rest his little head on his big brother's shoulder as a token of his gratitude, but strangely Leonardo didn't reply to him, at that moment the leader's sixth sense had gone on high alert.

Without answering the kids' questions, Leonardo quickly descended until they reached a dark alley to get into the sewer system. The children instantly protested, but their big brother told them to be quiet with so much fear in his voice that in spite of wanting to go on with their complaints, they understood they should obey.

The next manhole was a few steps ahead, but before Leonardo could get close enough to lift it, a person stepped on the large iron lid, it was Shredder.

Through the use of his cold-bloodedness, Leonardo looked in all directions to judge his situation. Nothing good could come from it, an alley crowded with enemies thirsty for revenge wasn't a good sight at all.

"Well, well, I have to tell you, my dear Leonardo, that luck wasn't always going to be on your side, damn reptiles. It is time for you to know that all the plans that have failed because of you and your... tadpoles will cost you your lives." The tone in Shredder's voice promised the worst for all of them.

Leonardo was full of anguish for what could happen to his little bros, but he didn't show it in front of the enemy. Even though the small turtles were hugging him in a way he could feel they were trembling with fear, Leonardo attacked the soldiers who were behind him, trying to break through so no one could hurt the babies.

At first, it seemed the young leader was breaking through to run away and be safe, but that night, fate, as Saki had said, wasn't on the innocents' side. A dart that managed to pierce the skin of one of his legs, made Leonardo fall to his knees, As soon as his legs could not hold him, several soldiers held him by his arms, some others cut the safety straps that kept his little brothers close to him.

Leonardo begged them not to hurt the kids, but one of the soldiers who had Raph held by his neck, banged the little turtle's body against the ground, the little one hurt his ankle and began to cry because of the pain. Another soldier had dropped Donnie to the floor and threatened to crush his little head with his heavy boot and Mikey cried when he felt the Shredder's claws slightly cutting through the skin of his tiny arm. At that moment the evil master of the Foot Clan was showing the greatest and cruelest face of satisfaction that nobody had ever seen before.

"NOOO!" Leonardo, feeling the effects of adrenaline combined with fury, achieved the unthinkable and immediately freed himself from all the soldiers who were holding him, but three more darts would knock him out cold. The eldest brother succumbed, not without first pleading, once again, for the life of his three babies.

…..

The unconsciousness was Leonardo's worst enemy right then. Upon awakening, he realized he was locked in one of the Shredder's dungeons. As soon as he opened his eyes he began to be aware of where he was and what had happened. By the time he remembered the last thing that had happened to them, he got up ignoring a headache and a sore chest due to the blows. He had several shallow wounds on his neck and shoulders, the soldiers who had cut the straps hadn't been so careful. None of that mattered, what he truly wanted to know was where his brothers were and find out if they were okay.

"SHREDDER! YOU WON! YOU GOT ME! TAKE REVENGE ON ME AND LET MY BROTHERS GO!" He shouted going as far as his chains allowed him, but he couldn't approach the bars that were part of his prison. Even though he shouted and begged for hours, he didn't get an answer. Surrendering momentarily to fatigue, he tried to concentrate, but it was useless, his mind kept imagining what Shredder was doing to his brothers, he wanted to see them, but it was distressing not to be able to do so.

"What have they done to them? Please, please, I hope they are okay..." Were his thoughts.

For three days straight which for anyone are endless, were far worse for Leonardo who was immersed in that sea of concern. During that time, he examined his entire cell looking for a way out. He inspected all the links of his chains looking for a crack or something that could help him free himself, but the metal had no defects. By the beginning of the fourth day, the ninja in blue already had the marks of his anguish showing themselves all over his face, in addition to the lack of sleep and hunger. Suddenly, somebody entered his cell, forcing him to narrow his eyes due to the bright light the open door let in.

"You look miserable Leonardo, there is no doubt that there is nothing left of the graceful ninja you used to be. Anyway, you brought this on yourself, you should have accepted my offer to join me when you could, now you have no choice." Shredder finally said, after observing with a mocking glance the hostile look of the eldest brother of his three little prisoners.

"My brothers... Where are my brothers?" The young leader finally asked, trying not to show how much those three days had consumed him. Shredder walked from side to side as if he was thinking about whether answering him or not.

"THEY ARE INNOCENT! LET THEM GO!" The ninja in blue finally demanded, rising menacingly. Shredder stopped and looked at him feeling pleased.

"That's it, I want you to beg me for their lives or their quick and painless extermination..."

"Don´t you dare Shredder, or else..."

"This is what you are going to do, my dear Leonardo," his nemesis went on talking, ignoring that threat momentarily, "be loyal to me, obey me without questioning or thinking and your brothers will be free. I can´t promise that you will have the same fate because you must know that in this organization you will only find death at the end." Although his honor required him not to betray the teachings of his late father, Leonardo didn't think about it and knelt before his new master.

"Master Shredder, I will do anything you ask, just... release them. I want to be sure you will do it and they will be fine." Leonardo pleaded in the humblest tone he could give to his voice.

"Very well, first obey me and then I will allow you to see them. In fact, you can take them to any place that you deem convenient and then return. What do you think?" Shredder couldn't deny how much he was pleased to hear that voice clad in humility and although Leonardo tried to hide it, it also reflected his fear and exhaustion.

"You are magnanimous, Master Shredder." Leonardo felt humiliated, but he shouldn't think about himself, three little ones were counting on him.

Shredder's satisfaction smile never disappeared from his face. A strong kick to his body made Leonardo fall upon his face to the ground.

"Let's do a test, kiss the tip of my shoe," Shredder ordered him, bringing his foot close to the ninja's face. Seeing Leonardo's slightest doubt, Saki kicked him in the face.

"This will have a great punishment," Shredder muttered in anger and without adding anything else, he withdrew.

"MASTER! PLEASE COME BACK!" But there was no response, a couple of hours later, one of the Foot ninjas arrived at his cell and gave Leonardo a tray of food: soup with meat, a glass of water and a piece of bread.

"Master Shredder orders you to eat this." It was the only thing the man said, without paying attention to Leonardo's insistence on wanting to know about his children.

Reasoning that Shredder had no intention of poisoning him because if he was dead he served no purpose, Leonardo inhaled the scent of the food which combined with that idea convinced him to eat, not to mention that four days had passed without him tasting any bite.

He finished a few minutes later, hoping to have enough strength to obey Shredder and be allowed to see his little brothers.

But on the next occasion, it wasn't Shredder who made an appearance in his cell, two Foot soldiers went for him.

Without removing the chains from his wrists and ankles, the soldiers almost dragged the turtle into the presence of Shredder.

Leonardo expected to see his little ones, if only for a few seconds.

Upon entering the huge hall the Shredder used as an office, Leonardo glanced at every corner of the place, but there was no one else. When Leonardo was before his new master, Shredder ordered the soldiers to remove the chains from his new pet. Until he would be sure the children were well, Leonardo remained still in his place.

"You have made me very angry with your doubt on our last meeting, Leonardo, before my eyes that isn't just an insult, it is an outrage to my will which must be obeyed instantly. I will give you another chance, if you hesitate even for a second, I will send for one of your brothers and he will be slaughtered in your presence, do you understand?" Leonardo nodded, this time he wouldn't hesitate.

While Leonardo was waiting for the order, Shredder stared at him not to lose any gesture of his face and he suddenly ordered him: "Kill the soldier on your right."

The soldier backed away in fear, his reaction put Leonardo's honorable customs into action: not to kill unless necessary, so he didn't obey. A dagger pierced the air and went through the soldier's throat who fell on his back to the floor, letting escape groans of pain as a huge pool of blood formed around his head. Leonardo looked at him in horror.

"I warned you!" Saki immediately signaled the other soldier who, scared by his partner´s fate, immediately headed to the door of Saki's office and asked: "Which turtle should I bring?"

"PLEASE MASTER, DON'T DO IT!" Leonardo implored, falling to his knees just after several invisible ninjas kept him still and away from Saki. "Give me some time, it's too soon for me to free myself from the customs I have! I beg you, master, bear with me, please!"

Saki didn't seem to heed Leonardo's plea, then he ordered: "Bring Michelangelo!"

"PLEASE! MASTER!" Saki savored every second the hated voice of his former enemy resonated in his ears, the voice of Leonardo begging for mercy.

**To be continued…**


	3. Chapter 3

…..

Shredder was slowly walking from one side to the other, looking 'thoughtful' when, in fact, he enjoyed every moment of the turtle's suffering. He laid his eyes on his green prisoner, delighted to see the ninja's whole being reflecting his plea.

"Okay, Leonardo, I will overlook your disobedience once again. Go get fed, I need you strong for the test mission I will give you."

"But ... could I see my brothers?" A brutal slap broke the skin of his cheek and made him fall.

"Do you dare to speak when you have not been granted permission to do so? That's it! You have exhausted my patience! Take him away and you know what to do!" Struggling with all his energy against the soldiers who began to drag him, Leonardo feared again for the children's safety.

"Master! Master! I beg you!" Shredder raised his hand to stop the soldiers.

"Do it on your knees," he ordered, Leonardo didn't hesitate to get down on his knees, touching the floor with his forehead, begging his master to forgive his boldness.

"Master ... please ... punish me, not my brothers."

"That's better." With another gesture from the evil master the soldiers took Leonardo away, they gave him a simple ninja gear with the symbol of the Foot Clan on it and fed him again.

"Our master will send you on a mission, if you don't want your brothers to end up as his toys to torture, you better obey." Leonardo just nodded, he suffered the uncertainty of not knowing if his little bros were okay or not. He hadn't seen them in all that time and that was distressing him a lot.

Again he was taken to Shredder's presence and was given an envelope. Inside it was a map, a structural plan of the building indicating the places that had security cameras installed and photographs of a large residence and a photo of a small girl. He hoped the mission he had to accomplish didn't involve hurting someone.

"Before four hours you must bring me that girl, alive or dead, I don't care. Her father is my rival in congress and I don't want hindrances, as you well know."

The girl would be about five years old, but something else inside the envelope left Leonardo speechless. A bloody, small piece of Mikey's bandana. Leonardo tried real hard to not lose his temper at seeing that. That kind of actions or words could further aggravate the situation of his children. He only looked at Shredder without saying anything.

"There's your punishment for your daring, you should know that I am serious. Bring me the girl and your brother's injuries caused by your boldness will be treated immediately, if I was in your position I would hurry ... or better not, let him die, he will be a hindrance you won't have to worry about anymore."

Leonardo repressed his impulses again after hearing that, so he only bowed and left the place and headed where his mission was waiting for him.

The next four hours were a real ordeal for Leonardo, during the outward journey to the residential area where Saki's rival lived, he thought a lot about the little innocent girl who might find death at the Shredder's hands, but he was also thinking about his little Mikey. Maybe he would be so scared wondering why his big brother wasn't there to defend him and save him. Maybe Raph and Donnie had seen how Saki's soldiers had hurt the youngest among them and they would be suffering a lot too.

Would the enemy be feeding them? Would they be sleeping at least a little? Those doubts only helped to increase the weight in his mind and now not only he couldn't get his brothers out of that horrendous situation, but he was also going to increase the number of children who would face the true face of evil without protection.

"My little brothers are my whole world, but… should I sacrifice innocents for their safety? How can I pay for this terrible action I perform on their behalf? I hope the blame never falls on my brothers ... "

With those thoughts in mind, he arrived at the little girl's home and as if fate were suddenly on the side of the bad guys, the little girl was in the backyard of the property, having fun on a swing. Leonardo's heart sank when the little girl looked at him without screaming, and she didn't resist when he put his hand over her mouth to prevent her from speaking. Jumping from rooftop to rooftop, Leonardo put the little girl on the floor to rest a little before continuing.

"Who are you?" The little girl asked with eyes showing not only her innocence but also curiosity. The young ninja refused to answer, he just smiled at her and lifted her in his arms, starting to run again in the direction of Saki's skyscraper.

When the little girl snuggled up to Leonardo's neck, the oldest brother began to cry silently and he almost took the girl back to her home, but the memory of his brothers forced him to commit that bad action until the end. Upon reaching the top of the place, a soldier took the girl from Leonardo's arms, but the man did it without any care and the girl immediately complained about the pain that action caused her, she was treated so roughly. She wants to go back to the turtle's arms and Leonardo truly wanted to prevent that abuse with all his soul, but for the sake of his brothers, he just stayed there, feeling the overwhelming weight of guilt as he had never felt it before.

"Well done my disciple, now eat and rest because in a couple of hours you will go on a new mission."

"No, I want to see my brothers." Shredder got up and looked at him furiously.

"You are being disrespectful! How do you dare to ask for something again? It seems you haven't learned anything, I was going to command one of my soldiers to take your brothers to your cell before sending you to your new mission, but now ... now you won't see them, get him out of my sight!"

"No, please wait!"

"Don't talk anymore, you insolent!" Leonardo clenched his fists and begged him again: "Please ... just tell me how they are. I haven't seen them since I woke up."

"You have no right to know about them, get out from my sight, if you fulfill your next mission, I could reconsider it. Guards, take him away." And so they returned Leonardo to his cell. The eldest turtle was desperate, he wanted to escape, but that would imply death for his children if the enemy came to discover him before he could find the place where they were locked up.

Only a couple of hours had passed when Leonardo was called again, but now it wasn't Shredder who spoke to him, it was Hun who in front of his master addressed the turtle.

"Take it," the huge man gave him an envelope, "you will go to that address with the girl and keep her there until an order is given to you, if her father doesn't accept our master's demands the girl will have to 'disappear'" He handed the turtle a duffel bag, the ninja supposed the girl was inside. Leonardo could hardly believe how heartless those wicked men could become, just because of that Leonardo obeyed again, he feared his little brothers were being treated like that too.

Without letting the concern for the good condition of the little girl filled his features, Leonardo took the duffel bag and immediately headed to the address. When he was at a distance he considered safe from the skyscraper of Saki, he opened the duffel bag and effectively the little girl was inside, tied hand and foot, many tears still falling from her eyes. At seeing Leonardo the little girl opened her little eyes a lot, the eldest of the ninjas immediately recognized that look, he had often seen it in the eyes of his little brothers, a look full not only of emotion but also of relief. Carefully, the ninja untied her and as soon as the little girl felt freed from her bonds, she threw herself into Leonardo's arms. She wasn't one of his little brothers, but both of them desperately needed that hug.

"Are you okay?" The turtle asked, the little girl nodded and she basked once again in the warmth of the one she knew wasn't dangerous. Leonardo ran again, he had to get to the place written on the piece of paper. Throughout the entire journey, he begged that the girl's father accepted Shredder's demands because he didn't want to do anything to the girl. Although he valued the lives of his little bros, he didn't have the right or the intention of depriving the innocent child of her life, and he expected his new master would do the same with his little brothers. Once inside the building, Leonardo observed how the little girl had fallen asleep, without nothing more to do but wait, he carried her with both arms. He missed so much rocking Mikey to sleep, that he started doing it with the little girl, letting out several sighs while doing it. He was pretty sure he wouldn't 'make her disappear', no matter what happened...

After what Leonardo thought felt like a lifetime dedicated only to wait, a transmitter inside the duffel bag began to sound, carefully he sat on the floor lying his precious load on his lap and then he answered: "I'm already here."

"Listen mutant, the father of the brat hasn't yielded to Shredder's demands, it seems that he cares more about the security and the future of the city than the life of his daughter." Hun's voice was heard, "get rid of her right away!" After those words, the communication ended.

Leonardo thought it was incredible that the father of the little girl thought that his duties to the city were more important than the life of his daughter. He wasn't sure what to think. Was that man doing it for a greater good, even though his sadness and guilt would chase him forever? Or maybe the little girl was deprived of love from the beginning of her existence?

Anyway, a certain part of Leonardo's mind admired the person's decision and if the father didn't love her, the little girl would surely have someone else waiting for her return. Making a decision that perhaps would cost the lives of his brothers, Leonardo decided that he wouldn't be the Shredder's servant anymore.

Going to a building near a busy avenue, Leonardo woke her up and took her to the first floor near the exit door which chains hadn't a padlock. Peeping through the half-open door, Leonardo could see a police officer nearby.

"Little one, it's time for you to go back home. Do you see that man dressed in blue?" The kid nodded. "Go and tell him you're lost, he will help you." Obediently, the little girl left the building to approach the officer, but not before hugging Leonardo again to give him a little kiss on his cheek. Making sure that the policeman realized the girl's problem, the blue ninja undertook the journey back to Saki's headquarters.

"SHREDDER!" Leonardo arrived and he was ready to face anything. "YOU HAVE TURNED ME INTO A KILLER! I HAVE COMPLIED WITH EVERYTHING YOU HAVE REQUESTED FROM ME! GIVE MY BROTHERS BACK! NOW!"

The metallic ninja burst into a cruel laughter.

"I thought you were smarter, Leonardo, you let your feelings cloud your judgment and now look at you. You have lost your honor and your family, but I am not that bad," he continued mocking, throwing a tantō at his feet, "I will let you put an end to your useless life."

"Give back my brothers, now!" Again Leonardo's seriousness showed he wouldn't change his decision.

"If you hadn't been so weak, you would have realized that they have been with you all the time."

"Speak clearly…"

"You moron, I killed your brothers and used their bodies to feed you. Did you think I would feed you just because you became my servant?

"What?" Leonardo didn't want to understand what he was hearing.

"That night, when we captured you, your useless brothers couldn't stand the physical abuse, the first to die was the whiniest one. Well, I had planned to kill him in front of you, but you fainted before you could see it. It was a great delight to see how he suffered at my hands, besides, the other two were terrified of what they were seeing. Those idiots didn't know what was happening and they were screaming your name. I had that great idea when we arrived, the chef dismembered the child and used small pieces of his meat to feed you and the other two. The others had the same fate, we killed them one by one and with their flesh we fed you. Here I have a nice souvenir for you."

Shredder threw the bloody tiny shell of one of the little turtles at the feet of the eldest brother. Leonardo froze for a few seconds and then dropped to his knees.

**To be continued…**


	4. Chapter 4

**I forgot to say this: in this story Shredder isn't an Utrom, he is human.**

Despite feeling the vehemence of pain as far as the deepest part of his soul, Leonardo didn't shed a single tear, nor breathed out any sigh or wail at all. Saki observed him fix his eyes on that tiny shell and the evil man smiled broadly, feeling pleased, knowing that the defeat of his eternal enemies was as he had dreamed. Those thoughts prevented him from remembering one of the cardinal truths on the battlefield: the most dangerous enemy is the one who has nothing to lose.

If someone had asked Shredder if he had ever imagined how he would cease to exist, one reply that would have never been among his answers was this one: to die at the hands of Leonardo; his arrogance and stupidity had blinded him. A few seconds were enough so that Saki, without having enough time to reason what was happening, was already down on the floor, one of his arms, the one wearing his metal claws, was no longer part of his body. He was barely aware that one of Leonardo's hands was fiercely pulling down his jaw while the other held the upper row of his teeth, the force applied to dislocate his jaw was the only thing that made him understand that he was about to die.

In vain he tried to get rid of that powerful grip with the only arm he had left. The strong cracking of bones coming out of its normal position made him exhale a scream that was anything but human. His claws embedded in his chest repeatedly framed that Dantesque picture. Rising from above Saki's body, Leonardo looked without emotion at the corpse of the one who had pushed him to such an extreme.

Some soldiers accompanied by Hun entered the place shortly after hearing the scream of their evil master. It would have been better for them not to have done so. Leonardo seized a pair of swords carried on the back of one of the soldiers, those weapons gave him an extra advantage. None of them there survived, none.

After a short time, the image of desolation and pain reigned in every corner of the building, bearing witness of the appearance of a monster. But, aren't we all true monsters when someone attempts against the most sacred to us? Leonardo didn't stop until all the henchmen in the building were dead and in pieces at his feet.

Only then, Leonardo ceased his actions, even without showing his feelings, he looked around without emotion in his eyes and began to walk dropping those swords, his accomplices in his revenge which like him, had endured the cracks in their surfaces as Leonardo had endured the discomfort of the few superficial wounds the lucky few soldiers were able to mark on his skin trying in vain to stop him. Where would the now lonely older brother go? An uncertain destiny awaited him.

…..

A few hours after the incident, Casey, Usagi, and Leatherhead made a stealthy entrance on the first floor of Saki's skyscraper. Nobody was in sight, believing they were blessed by luck, they all got on the elevator and reached the top, nobody came out to meet them. When they came out of it, everyone was ready to attack while hiding strategically behind walls and furniture.

After waiting for a few minutes, nobody passed by. The sounds of footsteps, voices or any other manifestation of activity were completely absent. Risking a little, Usagi, more seasoned in the battle against a full army, advanced cautiously through one of the closest halls. Great was his surprise to see a wall spattered with blood, a little further, on the floor, was the body of the owner of that blood, split in two, both halves of the corpse very close to each other.

Really stunned by he was seeing and without remembering to signal the others to advance, Usagi moved forward through the place, at every moment bumping into a corpse cut in pieces or simply with the chest pierced. Many times he found it difficult to walk without having to step on blood. Following his instincts, he shouted out calling his two companions who surprised the samurai had given up to be stealthy, left their hiding place to reach the source of the shout. They also witnessed the place had ceased to be a headquarters for the Foot and had become a cemetery.

Once the three of them were reunited, they continued advancing, looking for Leonardo in all the rooms, finding out that only death was the only one that remained as a permanent guest throughout the whole place. Finally, they reached the main room, Shredder was laying in the middle of a pool of blood, without his arm, his jaw dislocated and his heart tattered by his blades, a few steps beyond was Hun's body as if he had decided to follow his master beyond death and making sure he was with him in hell, he was decapitated.

"What happened here?" Casey asked aloud, giving words to everyone's unanimous thought.

"All the cuts in the bodies were made by katanas, swords handled with great skill," Usagi explained, knowing seamlessly what a wound of that type looked like, still not allowing himself to think about the only option that seemed the most likely, but it was also the most unthinkable of them all.

"Leonardo is nowhere ..." Leatherhead added, looking at the others as if to make sure he wasn't the only one who was thinking something improbable.

"What's that?" Casey asked, approaching the center of the place, looking at the tiny shell on the floor. Everyone looked at each other, unable to imagine the reason why that object was there, and certainly not knowing where it came from.

…..

A soul full of suffering becomes more and more powerful every second it endures pain, although the wounds never close completely, but, in Leonardo's case, he couldn't continue to endure it because he felt his heart had been torn away from him and he was doomed to wander for all eternity to look for it. Staring at the sky from time to time, Leonardo wondered which of those beautiful stars were those that corresponded to his three little ones, at least they had stopped suffering and if he hadn't been able to take good care of them while they were alive, he really hoped they would grant him to do so when he gave up his own life.

Like he was on autopilot, Leonardo arrived at the building where April lived. Strangely breathing calmly, Leonardo gathered what little strength he had left before going in to see her. He went down the emergency stairs, pushed the window wide open, went in and began to walk slowly through the living room. April was nowhere in sight on the second floor, so Leonardo thought maybe she was in the antique shop.

As he headed for the spiral staircase to get down, something clung to one of his legs and didn't allow him to move forward, something small, warm and soft. Without thinking, Leonardo looked down to see what was hindering him to walk. Small baby eyes with the same tone of a beautiful clear sky were looking at him insistently as if the tiny owner was glad to see him after a long time of absence.

"Leo ..." The sweet voice of a sea green-skinned little turtle murmured his name with affection, hugging him tighter at the same time that the little boy rested his head on the leg of his eldest brother.

"Big 'bo'" The little one went on, letting out a sigh that showed he finally was feeling a longed peace. That broke Leonardo's heart so deeply that it was the trigger so that all his pain, now feeling much heavier due to that cruel vision, flowed out of his eyes and mouth. It seemed fate still wanted to make him pay for his weakness, making him see hallucinations about the loss of his little brothers who had been the pillar of his existence.

Mikey watched in anguish how his eldest brother burst into tears and muffled moans, not knowing what to do, he separated from his brother and ran into the room. Feeling that he was no longer touched, Leonardo looked at his leg, nothing, his little one had disappeared.

His mind had started to play cruel tricks on him, but he could no longer stop the torrent that was flooding him, dropping to his knees, he seriously thought about getting out of there to put an end to his life, but fate, pitying him, made him feel not only one but three pairs of little arms around his body. Leonardo thought that his torture would never end, but he faced it bravely.

"Why are you crying, Leo?" The voice of the kid in purple, whose eyes began to turn crystalline was heard, Mikey couldn't speak because after having seen his brother begin to cry, his cheeks were also wet with sadness. Little Raph's face was changing from sad to annoyed at times, but he couldn't say anything either, he just cried also looking at his older brother waiting for a smile to take the place of those tears.

Leonardo couldn't bear it any longer. Even though he thought that maybe those beings could disappear, he hugged them all three, but they didn't fade, they all formed a shield around him, one that protected the little that still was left of his sanity.

"Forgive me! Please, forgive me!" The eldest turtle murmured, enjoying the warmth of them all, hearing their little voices, looking at them as if nothing had happened.

"Leo!" Suddenly, a female voice was heard, the owner quite admired by his presence there. "How come you are here?"

"Auntie April! Leo is sad..." Mikey said, hoping the woman could offer a solution. Seeing that April gently caressed Mikey's head, Leonardo looked at them in amazement, his mind couldn't handle all those emotions so he fainted.

…..

A deep sigh helped Leonardo return to consciousness. He could feel his brothers near him, sleeping as usual, but he didn't want to open his eyes for fear that everything was an illusion, but the warmth of their small bodies felt so real that he began to hug them tenderly. One of them moved until he put his hands on Leo's face, the young leader could feel the small hands on his cheeks.

"Leo..." The kid's voice softly said, "Leo, wake up, open your eyes," it was the voice of his little brother, Raphael. "We missed you, please open your eyes."

At that moment Leonardo could no longer endure the temptation and took the risk opened his eyes to meet amber eyes. In those eyes, he found joy, but also the fear of the unknown feeling of knowing that something was happening to his big brother.

"We were afraid for you, are you alright?"

Leo immediately looked around and realized his little brothers were indeed hugging him while they slept.

"Raph, don't wake Leo, he's very tired. Come here, sweetie." April lifted him in her arms.

"Auntie, why was Leo crying?"

"Those... were tears of joy, honey, remember, it has been a long since the last time Leo saw you.

"No, Auntie April, Leo is sad, I want to help him. What happened?" April hesitated for a moment.

"April? Is it you?" Leo looked at her in disbelief, straightening up to sit.

"Oh, Leo!" The redheaded woman hugged him tightly, it was then that the turtle realized all his body hurt and therefore he couldn't be dreaming or imagining.

His body no longer had traces of blood, only a few bruises and cuts were visible on his skin, but that was all. The most important thing was that his little brothers were fine.

"They are fine? Are all my little brothers okay?" He asked in relief, still enjoying his friend's hug.

"Don't! Get off of him! He is my brother, not yours! I don't want to share him with you!" Raphael tried to pull April away from his brother. When the two friends broke the hug, the others arrived home; they, like April, looked at Leonardo, all their eyes full of stupor.

"Leonardo-san! We were about to go out to find you!" Usagi exclaimed, hugging his friend too while Leatherhead was staring at the young leader in astonishment and Casey asked April to please get the kids down to the antique shop so they could talk to Leonardo.

The children complained a lot when April wanted to take them with her so that the grown-ups could speak freely, so Leonardo called them.

"Guys, please obey Auntie April, it will only be for a few moments," Leo asked them, delighting in just touching their little heads while all those innocent eyes were seeing him as not wishing to leave him alone because they feared he would leave again.

"I don't want to!" Mikey babbled, dropping himself on the floor next to his big brother's feet. When Raph and Donnie realized they had the same idea in their hearts, they imitated their baby brother. The eldest turtle smiled and let out a sigh full of affection, lifted the three small rebels in his arms.

"Go, my little ones, I promise I will never leave you again." He assured them, kissing their foreheads. "Go and draw me many pictures, I have missed your artworks, those I like so much." That was enough for the children to get excited and change their minds.

"I'm going to make you the best drawing, Leo!" Little Raphael said, his voice filled with emotion, running as soon as Leonardo put them on the floor.

"I will do it too, brother, you'll see one of my best ideas." The little genius assured him wearing a tender smile, running behind the red one. Mikey said nothing, he just hugged his brother's leg again and with an incomparable sweetness, he kissed his big brother's knee before running towards the stairs.

The contact of those little lips against his slightly sore skin was the best of balms, it didn't banish his physical pain, but it did wonders in his heart and mind. As soon as April descended the stairs taking the three little ones with her, the others approached Leonardo, Usagi to hear from his good friend what had happened, Casey to give him an explanation and Leatherhead to check him up.

Leonardo had almost dropped himself into the couch. Experiencing all those emotions in such a short time didn't allow him to gather enough strength to have some reserves for the next moment and yet he was still glad to be free of the sadness and guilt that were demanding him to commit suicide.

"You are surprised to see your brothers alive, aren't you, my good friend?" A question from the young samurai that it was rather a phrase that expressed the truth.

"Oh, Usagi, I was sick with anguish! Shredder made me believe that he had them locked up as he had me and that he was going to kill them if I didn't obey him!" Leonardo explained, emptying his soul of all the horrors he had experienced during those days.

"You thought he had murdered them, right?" Once again a question that was not a question, the good samurai looked at his friend in the eye, seeing the bottom of that soul that had suffered so much.

"Yes ... but ... it was much worse ..." Leonardo replied, letting out many tears again. Those salty drops stopped flowing this time when Leonardo remembered the last kiss little Mikey had given him.

"Shredder... he... made me believe they had cut them in pieces and cooked them to feed me..." At hearing that, Leatherhead suddenly stopped checking up the young leader's arm and looked at him horrified, Casey felt his mouth had suddenly dried up and Usagi ... now he understood the reason for everything he had seen.

"All of you saw what I did, didn't you?" Leonardo asked, looking down to not insult the honor of those warriors who had honored him with their friendship.

"Yes ..." Usagi was the only one who said it, the others were so shocked that it seemed the gift of speech had never been granted to them.

"Now I have become a murderer ..." Leonardo murmured full of regret, seeing the horror in the eyes of everyone and their attitudes, but the sadness of having done it wasn't present in him.

"My friend, calm down, none of us thinks that about you, it would never occur to us to consider you someone who could do something like that for pleasure; If we are mute and our faces are showing the horror, it's because of what Shredder made you believe ... It's a miracle the building is still standing, because if that had happened to me ... I think after doing what you did, I would have set the place on fire and I wouldn't have left until it had turned into ashes." Usagi assured him, changing his look from one horrified to one of affection and understanding.

"What Usagi says is the truest words, Leo," Casey seconded, "if I had been in your place and knew that my family was killed and turned into food ... I wouldn't have had mercy on anyone and maybe I would have continued for a few more days..." Casey knew well that feeling which dragged him not to restrain himself after witnessing a crime and yes, what he said would have happened: perhaps he would have taken that pain to its ultimate consequences.

"Are you feeling well, my friend?" Leatherhead asked, "the shock coming from a situation like that can make a dent in your health. Minor news might cause people to have problems sleeping or feeding." The friendly look of the huge scientist also assured Leonardo that he didn't see him with horror either.

"Although I know that my little brothers are doing well... I'm sure I will have many nightmares with everything that happened to me, and I can't believe this, but I don't feel sad about what I have done. I do regret it, and I know that someday I will have a punishment for having taken so many lives, maybe they were criminals, but I had no right to deprive them of the existence that way ...

Everyone was silent, they knew Leonardo was somehow right about what would happen in the future when fate tried to settle the score. The young leader, to get out of that atmosphere full of distressing ideas asked: "How did you save my little brothers?"

**To be continued...**


	5. Chapter 5

**Here's the last chap.**

"April and I wanted to join you to go see the stars," Casey began to explain Leo, "she was afraid that anything bad could happen to you and the children because since you told her about your plans to go for a walk, she had had a bad feeling. To increase our security, we invited Leatherhead to accompany us. But, when we arrived at the lair, you and the boys had already left. April, thanks to Donatello, knew how to use the tracker on the cell phones and we followed the signal.

"From afar we saw a large group of Foot soldiers gathering near an alley... we feared the worst..." the human continued, "we went straight against them, knocking out those who were on the nearby rooftops, but it was too late, Shredder had your little brothers at his mercy. We watched as several soldiers were dragging you and put you inside a van. As soon as they started to get out of the alley, Leatherhead swooped down on Shredder, he managed to knock him down. The attack made Shredder drop Mikey, our big friend saved him, April saved Donnie and I saved Raph. Shredder, thanks to several patrols that were approaching the place, gave the order to his men to vanish. When the cops showed up, the situation forced us to hide, that's why we couldn't save you..."

"Besides ... we didn't follow the van either because Raph had a twisted ankle, Donnie was so scared he clung to April's arm with all his might and Mikey also had several wounds on his arm."

"We decided to call Usagi to help us rescue you and we try to make your brothers forget that event. That wasn't easy, every night they had nightmares, they woke up looking for you. They cried every time the door opened and they realized it wasn't you. They were so restless and worried. We told them you had fought and were safe, and if you weren't here, was because you had gone to buy them beautiful gifts, but they weren't interested. They only wanted you to be here, they didn't care about the gifts. They were always sad and didn't want to eat. When they saw you again, they didn't want to separate from you, not even for a second."

"Guys," Leo finally spoke while April came up with the boys who had already finished drawing, "I don't know how to thank you for everything they've done for my little brothers. I feel I have woken up from a horrible nightmare. I am very grateful."

"Leonardo, we are your family, we would do anything for you. Our only regret is that we weren't able to get you out of that hell before." Leonardo took April's hands.

"That doesn't matter, you saved them and that's something I will never be able to repay you for." A paper in front of their faces interrupted the moment.

"Look, Leo, I made you the best drawing in the world!" Little Raphael stood between April and his big brother to get his attention. The drawing of a house, a small Raph and a Leo training together with a very happy sun over them.

"Look mine!" Donatello showed him his drawing, a Leonardo beside him watching the universe.

"Leo, 'bo'" Mikey showed his drawing of him being carried by Leonardo, lulling him to sleep. Or at least that was what Mikey thought those colored stripes he showed Leonardo looked like. Despite the pain, Leo lifted the three and hugged them with all the love and tenderness he was capable of.

"I love you my little ones. You know that, right?"

"Yes!" Mikey and Donnie shouted, but little Raphael looked at his older brother with eyes that revealed a little doubt.

"Then, what took you so long to come back?" His little brother in red reproached him. Leonardo felt the blow right in his heart, it seemed life was using his brothers to begin the punishment he would suffer for what he had done.

"I... I..." The eldest brother had run out of words and again his cheeks were adorned with two silver lines. At seeing that, little Raph immediately regretted what he had said. He began to sob clinging tightly to the neck of his big brother who didn't regain his speech until a few minutes later.

"Don't cry, Raph, it was my fault... I... I got lost on the way here and I couldn't return on time and forgot the gifts..." Leonardo replied in a sad but clear voice, apologizing.

"I didn't need any gifts! I needed you!" The little one confessed and the others nodded.

"And I missed you a lot, you don't know how much, but from now on we will be together forever." The eldest turtle assured, looking them in the eyes, wiping their tears with his thumb, all the little ones smiled, but despite the emotion, they began to yawn.

April decided to take them to bed so Leonardo could rest, all the little ones were going to protest for that, but Leonardo declined his friend's kind offer.

"No, April, thanks, now it's my turn." Lifting all of them at the same time as only he knew how to do it, Leonardo went straight to the room April had fixed up for the children and closed the door. The day was over for those four who had missed each other so much. The others took the opportunity to tell April what had happened.

The woman was unpleasantly dismayed by what Leonardo had to suffer and although she didn't like the way it had happened either, she was glad that Shredder and much of his evil clan had ceased to be a problem for them and the world.

"They are so warm," the eldest turtle thought when he felt the pleasant temperature coming from the three small bodies of his bros surrounding him. They made him feel the divine forgiveness was granted to him immediately because the joy that was overwhelming him had no rival. "I thought I would go crazy when Saki told me those horrible words... I barely remember everything I did afterward, but I feel it in my heart... Now I selfishly think that I would love that my brothers could grow from now on. Who would have guessed! I have become greedy with what I love the most!" After those thoughts, the eldest had a good sleep as well as the three kids who kept him close, hugging his arms and neck with their loving small arms.

The next day, when everyone was certain no danger was menacing their friends, they returned home. Leatherhead to his home in the sewer, Casey to his apartment and Usagi to his dimension, but not before promising his good friend that he would return very soon to visit them. The looks in the eyes of the ninja in blue showed much more gratitude than all the words of thanks he could say to everyone, so he only smiled at them, his soul filled with happiness for having such great friends. He decided to stay a few more days with April until he could be completely healthy.

A couple of days later, April watched Leonardo playing with his little ones. But, like every woman, her sixth sense made her feel the oldest of the turtles had a hidden sadness, but she couldn't call herself Leo's friend if she didn't offer him all her help.

"Leo, what's wrong? Since everyone went back home, I noticed a faint spark of sadness in you..." The redhead woman asked, taking a seat next to him when he sat for a moment as the children were running from side to side of the room dragging plastic toy cars with cords.

"Maybe you might say I have become selfish, April," Leonardo began, opening up to his friend, after exhaling a sigh, "I came to believe that now that Shredder no longer exists... I would love for my brothers to grow normally instead of regaining their normal age."

April smiled, Leo's mother-hen instinct was so strong that he aspired to enjoy everything he could from those little ones full of innocence and candid affection for him.

"You're right, Leo, it's a selfish thought... but, if they can grow up in an environment free of violence that can let you enjoy all the love you can give them and they will repay you doubled, then it is understandable." Leonardo smiled but decided to forget that idea. He never imagined April would agree with him.

"Leo..."

"Yes?"

"I can make the effect on their bodies that is waiting to detonate to make them go back to their real ages disappear." Those words made Leonardo stare at his friend, there was no doubt, it was something he wished with all his soul, but still, she asked him: "Are you interested?"

"Of course!" It was the immediate and unthinking response of the eldest turtle, but after staying thoughtful for a few moments, he changed his mind.

"No... I think it's not a good idea, April, but thanks anyway." Leonardo finally said, turning his eyes to his brothers.

"But, why not?" The redhead woman asked, almost demanding an explanation to that second answer that wasn't consistent with the feelings of her friend.

"Our father..." Leo murmured, thinking of his late teacher, "I feel that kind of action would turn me into a thief... if my brothers don't remember everything about what he did for all of us, I would become a usurper and I have already done enough, betraying his teachings after... what... what I did..." He finally finished his sentence.

"Leo, only the effect on their bodies will be removed, they will grow normally and when the time comes, their memory will return intact to their brains, you will not be stealing your father's place in their minds or their hearts, so don't worry," April assured him, placing one of her hands on his shoulder, making him realize that all of them deserved a little peace and something similar to a normal life.

Leonardo didn't want to doubt her friend's ability, after all, she was almost as smart as Donatello, but he still wanted to be sure.

"Guys, please, come closer," Leo asked his little brothers, all of them obeyed.

"Children, what am I to you?" The eldest turtle asked, looking deeply in the eyes of each of them.

The kids didn't quite understand the question, but the first one to answer was Donatello: "You are our big brother, Leo, and we love you very much." At those words, they all hugged him.

"Do you remember our dad?" After that second question, the boys showed some confusion in their faces.

"I think so..." Raphael replied, a spark of his memories guarded in his mind was in his eyes, "he was... I don't remember how his face was, but I do remember he scolded me a lot, but he was a great dad."

Mikey and Donnie nodded, they all remembered their father's love.

Leonardo sighed with relief, his brothers' memories of that good being were there intact. He would make sure they didn't forget him and when they reached the age they had lost, all those memories would return to their right place.

"Okay, April, do it, without taking away all the merit of the upbringing that my father gave us, I'm going to make my best effort, my little brothers will have a few years of a quiet life."

The good woman smiled, from that moment on Leonardo would embark on one of the adventures that many human beings face every day, the adventure of fatherhood.

**The end.**


End file.
